Stop, Revive and . . . Eat Chocolate
Stop, Revive and . . . Eat Chocolate, at King Street Confectionery, a Hidden Gem of the Coast Road to Port Stephens.
Heading North from Sydney for the holidays? Treat yourself to a road-stop at Raymond Terrace and stretch your legs with a stroll along the riverfront to historic King Street, where you’ll discover a hidden gem of the coast road - King Street Confectionery.
Step into the heritage shopfront and be transported to another time and place, when kids cycled to the corner store with a pocket full of change to select a mixed bag of sweets from colourful counter top displays. King Street Confectionery is a treasure-trove of old-fashioned sweets like king-sized sherbert cones with home-made marshmallow centres and chunky, chewy rocky road. Timber paddles of glossy hand-made chocolates are displayed in hand-crafted timber and glass cabinets – with luscious centres like fragrant lemon myrtle made with fresh sprigs supplied by a local gardener; tangy lemon and zesty lime made with fresh fruit from growers at East Maitland and Medowie; aromatic mandarin from a local orchard within walking distance; raw honey from an Eagleton apiarist; sulphur-free sun-dried pineapple and caramelised fresh mango sourced from Queensland growers and fresh passionfruit pulp from vines draped over local garden fences. Its not uncommon to catch growers at the counter, popping in with their crop and enjoying a morning coffee.
Confectioners Jake and Ingrid make several kilos of their sublime caramel each week, just to keep pace with local demand! Their irresistible Amarena cherry chocolates, made with Italian cherries and Belgian chocolate, are ordered by the dozen for a buyer in Japan; while a 400 year old Turkish recipe is at the heart of their divine chocolate-dipped Turkish Delights. Antique machinery from famous chocolate factories of years gone by take pride of place in the front windows while original 1920’s light fittings and music enhance the vintage vibe. Proudly displayed is a hand-penned shopping list of ingredients for the original “cobbers”, found in the wall cavity during renovations - all part of a delicious story waiting to unfold in the hands of the right owners!
Starting with this authentic restoration of their grandmother’s heritage terrace, King Street confectioners are bringing to life their vision for a revival of the town’s historic heart, along King Street.